Gateway desktop is dead, any help?

[Hugh R]

My Gateway model GM5472 which is about five y/o won't start. It was running fine and I restarted it about a week ago. I shut it off this AM cause the power company was turning off elec. for some work today. Now I push the power button and get nothing. I plugged the power cord into another plug, and get a small plug in spark, like it sees a load, normal I think. I unplugged everything and did an ATX restart, meaning I unplugged everything and pushed the start button for 30 and 60 seconds and still get absolutely nothing. It was plugged in today, but I can't find a fuse, I'm sure there is one. I have carbonate backup, so no worries on data loss, but I'd hate to have to buy a new puter and software. Any suggestions? Thanks much.

[RWebb]

if you don't want to trouble shoot it with instruments, you could try swapping in another or new power supply

do you have other desktops lying around you can cannibalize from?

[Hugh R]

Nope

Instruments other than voltage to the power supply aren't me. I shut it down normally.

That is the weird thing, I've shut it off recently with no issues. I'm wondering if a start up surge from Edison could have blown an internal fuse that I don't see. I don't mind taking it to geek squad except for the inconvenience.

[syncroid]

Hugh, I'm thinking power supply too. My home PC died a little while back due to a bad power supply. The bummer was that it took out the mother board when it died. My puter was 6 and a half years old. All backed up but lost a whole bunch of programs that I used. If you need a power supply, I have a brand new one I'll send your way if you want it. Maybe you will be luckier then I.

[RWebb]

this help any?

Computer busted? Ten steps to troubleshoot your PC | ZDNet

[Hugh R]

Dan

Thanks but if I can't figure it out I'll just take it to someone. I don't really care about a few bucks.thanks for the offer. I don't see how the power supply could just die.

[john70t]

Guy at the big box store said they sell a lot of appliances after an extended grey-out.

After losing power, I disconnect refrigerators/etc. until power comes back for at least 10 minutes. There's usually some fluctuation until the branch is stabilized, and motors don't like low voltage. Everyone's appilances are going to be working hard then.

[MysticLlama]

Sometimes power supplies do just die one day, not that uncommon really.

They almost always have a fuse, pull the P/S, cut through the sticker that says no user serviceable parts, open it up, and take a look.

If the fuse isn't blown, it could be dead, or the power isn't getting turned on through the motherboard, meaning it could be dead, or the switch could be bad (easy to test, just pull the power switch plug off the board and short those two pins for a moment with a screwdriver).

Typically a power supply can be had for $30ish.

Wait, a 5yo Gateway.... throw it out.

[slodave]

Ya can always call me, Hugh...

[id10t]

There is a switch on the back of the power supply... the button on the case is a "soft" switch, so try flipping the switch in the back to the off and then back on position...

[tharbert]

I too vote power supply. I'd also crack the case and take a look at the capacitors on the mother board. It's worth a least a quick visual. Many computers in that age range fall prey to this defect:

[Joe Bob]

Power Supply....I'd pull the hard drive and copy it to save your data.....but that's just me.

I had a transformer blow down the street lasst week....I had a warning and surge protector....EVERYTHING computer wise was wonked up.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

......I don't see how the power supply could just die.

Wife: Can you help me, this _______ is not working.

Me: Looks like the _______ went.

W: But it was working a minute ago.

M: That's usually what happens, stuff works right up to the point that it breaks, then it stops working.

Or as they say in the Investment world, Prior performance is not an indicator of future performance.

Check the power supply.

[Hugh R]

Thanks guys. I'll be contacting SLODave if I can't figure it out.

[rnln]

get a light and plug it in the outpet to make sure the outlet is working. Do the same to test the surge protector/strip too. Then open up the case and test voltage of the PS, both input and output.
Another thought is that your switch, the little power switch on your computer. That thing can go bad too.

[strupgolf]

Funny, my laptop did the same thing. Looking through it one night, worked fine. The next day, nothing. I tried to start it up during the day, but nothing. Then about 2 weeks later, boom, the thing comes back on. There are three small lights to the side. green--power, orange--loosing power, and a small green light shaped like a lightening bolt. That last one would blink about every 10-15 seconds, the nothing at all. Guys, any ideas on this one?

[Por_sha911]

Most power supply units will have a small LED light in the back of the machine that comes on when power is brought to it (even when the machine is not turned on). Look for the LED in the back. If machine is plugged in to a good outlet but the LED is not lit then you've got a 90% chance a new supply will do the trick. They aren't that expensive either.

[dad911]

5 YO gateway, It's going to cost more to bring it to someone for testing than it's worth, unless you have some irreplaceable software installed.

I'd buy another box, (or a laptop these days, they are so 'cheap' and try to pull off the data by installing it as a second drive.

[azasadny]

Power supply is dead, happens all of the time. Easy fix...

[azasadny]

Hugh,
I would recommend either replacing the power supply (short term) or buying a new PC and adding the old hard drive as a second drive and pulling your file off of it or buying an external case and putting the old hard drive in the external drive case. The next thing to go will be the hard drive, so be sure to get your files off of the old drive ASAP. I can do this for you if you want...